Bollworm losses: Agriculture deptartment and farmers in a catch-22 situation

Bollworm losses: Agriculture deptartment and farmers in a catch-22 situation

Shishir Arya and Bhavika Jain

| TNN | Updated: Feb 10, 2018, 06:57 IST

cotton field

NAGPUR: Cotton growers' applications seeking compensation for losses due to pink bollworm pest have touched close to 13 lakh and still more are trickling in. The state's agriculture department will now have to rush to cross-check the claims before cotton is cleared from the fields.
This is a catch-22 situation for the department as well as farmers. In order to prevent pest attack next year, farmers have been advised to clear the fields early. This will help in cutting down the life cycle of the bollworm, which leaves its eggs to breed in the cotton plants. However, to calculate the farmers' losses cotton has to remain in the fields till each holding is physically surveyed by the department's teams to prepare a report.

According to the department's directives, the fields should have been cleared by December or January end. The teams will now have to rush and finish the job within February itself as the cotton crop may be finally cleared in large areas by next month, said a source in the agriculture department. Although, in Vidarbha a section of farmers is holding on to their crops so that a little more is harvested.

After a major pest attack, the state government came up with a relief package which included compensation routed through a penalty extracted from seed companies. "There is already a provision in Maharashtra Cotton Seed Act for routing a compensation through a seed company in case of losses. So far, the department has only handled sporadic cases. For the first time, complaints are being handled at such a mass scale," said a source in the department. Even if compensation is imposed by the government, seed companies can move court against the order. This indicates getting farmers their money will remain a long-drawn affair, say sources.

The process calls for cross-verification of each complaint in two stages before a final call is taken by the director, quality control (seeds). So far, the first stage has only reached half way and eight lakh cases are still pending.

A farmer's complaint is taken in the 'G' form, after which an inspector physically surveys the field and fills up 'H' form. After that, a survey is done by a district-level committee which fills up 'I' form. Finally, the director orders compensation after hearing the seed company as well.

"Out of nearly 13 lakh 'G' forms filed, only 5 lakh 'H' forms are ready till now. As the cotton season ends, the agriculture department staff will have to rush to finish the job. For a survey to be done, the cotton crop has to be on the fields," said an official.

Earlier, an internal deadline of January 31 was fixed which could not be met. Considering the scale, it is being planned to take sample surveys for the next step. The work would be further delayed if the 'I' form surveys on each field is done, said a source.

Rather it is now being planned to go for sample surveys in a block. So if losses are in found in a particular brand of seeds in a given area, then the company will be sent notices for the entire stretch. This will help in reducing the time lag, the source said.

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